Clay of the day
Roger Federer had the perfect response to questions about his status as the world’s top-ranked player — he ended Rafael Nadal’s 81-match winning streak on clay with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory Sunday in the final of the Hamburg (Germany) Masters. It was Federer’s first clay-court title in two years as he snapped out of a slump during which he failed to win a title in four events, his worst run since he became No. 1 in February 2004. “It was an incredible performance from my side,” Federer said. “I had a great day. It’s nice to be playing well again.”
NBA PLAYOFFS
West: Make that 17 in a row. After a 108-100 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday, the Utah Jazz have lost 17 straight games in San Antonio, going back to 1999. Deron Williams’ fourth-quarter efforts and career-high 34 points weren’t enough for the Jazz.
NHL PLAYOFFS
West: Teemu Selanne scored 11:57 into the extra period and lifted Anaheim to a 2-1 comeback win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday in the conference finals. With 47.3 seconds left in regulation, Scott Niedermayer’s deflected shot fluttered over Dominik Hasek’s glove on a power play. Anaheim leads the series 3-2.
AND FINALLY
– Roberto Moreno joined Richie Hearn and rookie Phil Giebler as last-day qualifiers for the Indianapolis 500, with Jimmy Kite, who began the day with the slowest speed (214.528 mph) among the 32 drivers already in the lineup, the only one bumped out. – New York Jets kick returner Justin Miller was arrested early Sunday and charged with third-degree assault after a fight at a New York City nightclub. – Ethiopian Olympic champion Meseret Defar broke the world record in the women’s 2-mile run in the Adidas Track Classic at Carson, Calif., winning in 9 minutes, 10.47 seconds.
